Cervical cannulas



July 28, 1959 O. L. SCHMITT ET AL CERVICAL CANNULAS Filed June 6, 1958 IS l4 Fig. 7

INVENTORJ 0H0 L. Sc'hmi'rf BY Frederlck E. Lawrence United States Patent GERVICAL CANNULAS Otto L. Schmitt and Frederick E. Lawrence, Denver, Colo., assignors to Larre Laboratories, Inc., Denver, Colo., a corporation of Colorado Application June 6, 1958, Serial No. 740,331

3 Claims. (Cl. 128-131) This invention relates to a cervical cannula for the treatment of pathological conditions of the cervix, cervical canal and s uteri.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an improved and highly efficient intracervical cannula or pessulum for treating and correcting various pathological malformations, flexures, displacements, contractions, etc. of the cervix uteri and to provide a corrective device of this character which when in place will maintain a continuously open passage between the vagina and the uterus for preservation of the natural body functions such as fallopian drainage, menstrual flow, conception, etc.

Another object is to provide a cervical pessulum with the above characteristics which will be comfortable and non-irritating to the patient; which can be quickly and easily placed in correct position without injury to the surrounding tissues; which will serve as a support for 0s externum to prevent dependency of the latter in the vagina; and which will securely retain itself in the position selected by the attending physician.

Other objects and advantages reside in the detail construction of the invention, which is designed for simplicity, economy, and efliciency. These will become more apparent from the following description.

In the following detailed description of the invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereof. Like numerals refer to like parts in all views of the drawing and throughout the description.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a perspective view of the improved cannula illustrating it in place upon an introducer ready for insertion in the cervical canal;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the improved cannula;

Fig. 3 is a detail side view of the outer extremity thereof;

Fig. 4 is an outer end view thereof;

Fig. 5 is a cross-section taken on the line 5-5, Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a detail face view of a flexible disc as used upon the improved cannula; and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary, magnified, longitudinal section of a portion of the improved cannula.

The improved cervical cannula is molded from a flexible polyethylene plastic, preferably white in color to be easily visible against the body tissues, to form a unit consisting of a tubular stem portion 10, with a circular, convex button 11 at its outer extremity and two flaring prongs 12 at its inner extremity. An axial passage 13 extends throughout the length of the stem portion and opens through both extremities of the latter.

The stem portion is molded with spaced-apart, bulbous enlargements 14 along its length. Each enlargement is formed with an encircling groove 15 for receiving a soft, circular retaining disc 16. The discs 16 are stamped from very flexible sheet rubber. Each disc is formed with a central opening 17 of less diameter than the annular diameter of the encircling grooves 15 so that when the discs are positioned in their grooves 15 the rubber about the small central openings will be placed in tension. This tension serves a. double purpose: first, it acts to retain the disc in the groove and; second, it causes the normally flat disc to assume a conical shape, the conical direction of which can be varied as desired by simply forcing the discs inwardly or outwardly from their planes of attachment as shown in broken line in Fig. 3. As illustrated, the cannula is provided with three of the discs. 16 uniformly spaced from each other. A longer size of the cannula could have four of the discs while a shelter size could have only two.

The prongs 12 are resiliently flexible and normally extend uniformly outward from the inner extremity of the stem portion at an angle of approximately 70 to each other. The button 11 has a relatively thin uniform thickness and is also resiliently flexible. The button is formed with a spherical convex outer surface and with a spherical concave inner surface. The passage 13 opens through the center of the button. The convex outer surface of the button is provided with a diametricallyextending locating marker 18. The marker may be an indented groove or an imprinted line of a color contrasting with the color of the plastic from which the button is formed. As illustrated, however, the marker 18 is molded as a slightly raised ridge. The marker 18 is accurately positioned in the plane of the two prongs 12 so that the latter can be accurately positioned in place by inspection of the outer surface of the head.

Drainage ports 19 communicate with the axial passage 13 in the stem portion between the discs 16 and between the outermost disc 16 and the button 11.

The improved cannula is placed by pinching the two prongs together and inserting them into a gelatin capsule 20 which retains them in the folded-together position. The forward extremity of a suitable wire introducer 21 is then inserted in the outer extremity of the axial passage as illustrated in Fig. 1. A kink 22 is formed in the introducer to limit the length of insertion of the latter. The entire assembly is now sterilized, lubricated, and introduced into the os uteri until the button 11 firmly cups against the os externum. Prior to, during and after the insertion, the position of the locating marker 18 is noted so that the prongs 12 will, upon dissolution of the capsule, lie laterally in the triangular cavity of the uterus pointing toward the outlets of the fallopian tubes. In the proper position, the inherent resiliency of the prongs draws the button 11 firmly against the os externum to support the latter. The resiliency of the discs tends to center the stern portion in the cervical canal and depress any unnatural protuberances. The resiliency of the stern portions tends to urge the cervix to a substantially straight aligned position to correct unnatural folds or kinks in the cervix.

It will be noted that the uterus may freely drain through the axial passage 13 and fluids from the cervical canal may drain to the passage 13 through the ports.

While a specific form of the improvement has. been described and illustrated herein, it is to be understood that the same may be Varied within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired secured by Letters Patent is:

l. A cervical cannula comprising: a tubular stem portion; an axially positioned passage extending the full length of said stem portion and opening to both extremities of the latter; a concave button formed on the outer extremity of said stem portion, said passage opening through the center of said button; two oppositely flaring prongs formed on the inner extremity of said stem portion, said passage opening between said prongs, the stern portion, the button, and the prongs are molded as a Unit from an elastic plastic and having resilient conical discs I surface of said button, said locating device lying in the plane of said oppositely flaring prongs.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Joslyn Mar. 20, 1928 Schmitt Aug. 14, 1951 longing 

